Petaluma Around the Clock: SRJC a sanctuary for study

If you're looking for peace and quiet, the Petaluma campus of the SRJC offers some respite from the busy world.|

PETALUMA AROUND THE CLOCK

This story is part 3 of a 10-part Argus-Courier series. Each week, we will skip ahead a few hours, clockwise, moving from place to place and person to person, capturing the colorful details, conversations, and activities that make up an average day in Petaluma. Next week, in part 4, we jump ahead to 1:30 p.m., spending part of an afternoon with the colorful folks who frequent Spin Records, a recently emerged hub of activity on the West Side, surrounded by restaurants, a grocery store - and one very busy laundromat.

See all of the stories in this series here.

At 11:22 a.m., on a slightly rainy Thursday morning, the Petaluma campus of Santa Rosa Junior college is very, very quiet. ? Outside the Student Center, just past the convenient bike repair station and an enticing ready-to-play stand-up piano, a few students stop to chat before ducking in out of the drizzle, gratefully taking refuge within the college’s well-populated café and adjacent dining room.

A few voices ring out here and there, and an upbeat playlist of tunes stream overhead in the café area, where the slightly damp newcomers approach the counter to order warm drinks. Just beyond the café, in the small alcove known as the Lounge - as well as in the larger dining hall, known as the Commons - there is very little talking going on.

Everywhere you look, heads are down, eyes trained on books, hands busily taking notes. It’s the last day of midterms, and the aura of scholarly concentration is thick in the air.

“Right now, the number of students is a little heavier than usual in here, because of the rain,” observes student (and self-described “intrepid explorer”) Matthew Barker. A resident of Cotati, he’s studying psychology, aiming toward a second career after an earlier stint in the world of high tech. Asked if the dining area is generally more socially active - and perhaps a bit louder - when midterms are not taking place, Barker says no.

“Actually, it’s usually pretty quiet in here,” he acknowledges. “People come inside to study. There’s not as much socializing and conversation as you might think.”

Janet Madero, the barista on duty, agrees.

“People who want play video games or talk usually hang out in the café, because it’s a little livelier, with the music and everything,” she says. “But most people want to study, so they go into the other room. It’s really quiet in there.”

Upon entering those “quiet rooms,” one quickly notices the surprisingly attractive furniture, a donation from Friends of Petaluma Campus Trust, which included materials from Heritage Salvage.

Madero says the Student Center’s busiest time is between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., especially at midterms.

“Midterms tend to bring more people in,” she has observed. “Everyone is working hard, looking for a quiet place to study, so we see a lot more people in here at this time of year.”

Outside the Student Center, in the Rotary Plaza, very little is happening.

It’s now 11:31 a.m., and though the rain has let up a bit, the place is pretty much abandoned, except for a large number of birds searching the ground for scraps of soggy food. According to students and staff who were asked, the liveliest day on campus tends to be Wednesday, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., when the campus food pantry distributes free food to students. The program is a response to studies showing that 2/3 of the Junior College population are “food insecure,” a term defined as not knowing when your next meal will happen, or where the food will come from.

“Food Distribution day is always a pretty good day around here,” affirms Matthew Long, the Dean of Student Services on the Petaluma campus. “Because of the food, which a lot of our students really depend on, people are usually in a pretty good mood on Wednesdays.”

At 11:38 a.m., Long leads a quick tour of the most populated spots on campus - excluding, of course, the classsrooms - the tour including a short visit to the campus library, which Long explains underwent a bit of a renovation two months ago.

“The Library has been remodeled in some interesting ways, dividing the library into different ‘zones,’” Long explains. He gestures to an area with signs proclaiming it a “Talk Zone,” resembling a large living room with many of its tables on wheels, so they can be easily moved, depending on the needs of the students. “This is where students are allowed to interact and have discussions,” he says. “The quiet zones are upstairs, along with some group study rooms, too.”

Even for a Talk Zone, the area is impressively quiet at the moment, despite a large number of users occupying it. The reason of course, is the same as it was in the Commons.

“Midterms,” says Long.

After a quick peek inside the campus’s Student Services Center - where even more students are quietly engaged in their studies and test preparation - Long moves back out into the Plaza to point out the Gateway to College charter high school that currently shares the campus with the JC.

“It’s a magnet charter school,” he explains. “They take courses with the college students, as well as their own high school courses. They are very involved on campus, so that’s really very cool.”

It’s now 11:44 a.m., and Long gets ready to return to his duties.

“This is the calm before the storm,” he laughs, pointing to the clock tower – behind which actual storm clouds are looming – the clock’s face revealing that classes will soon let out for lunch.

“We’ve got about 4400 students coming through the Petaluma campus right now,” Long says. “A lot of people in Petaluma barely even know this campus is here, but with younger students, and older folks pursuing second or third careers, I have to say, this campus is a very busy and active and important place – even if it does seem pretty quiet sometimes.”

PETALUMA AROUND THE CLOCK

This story is part 3 of a 10-part Argus-Courier series. Each week, we will skip ahead a few hours, clockwise, moving from place to place and person to person, capturing the colorful details, conversations, and activities that make up an average day in Petaluma. Next week, in part 4, we jump ahead to 1:30 p.m., spending part of an afternoon with the colorful folks who frequent Spin Records, a recently emerged hub of activity on the West Side, surrounded by restaurants, a grocery store - and one very busy laundromat.

See all of the stories in this series here.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.